Ben Guenther
Reviews By Author
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Franklin's Indians: Irish Motorcycle Racer Charles B. Franklin Designer of the Indian Scout and ChiefPublished:
This book was first published by Panther Publishing in 2011 and Veloce Publishing Limited did a facsimile reprint in February 2018, this review is about the reprint. What we have is a biography of Charles B. Franklin, an electrical engineer, motorcycle racer, designer of Indian motorcycles and an overseer of the Indian Company racing teams. This book extensively covers the years from 1903 thru 1932 and with a wide geographic expanse well, from Ireland to Britain, then Europe and America with side excursions to Australia and back to Europe. A comprehensive account of his life and achievements to the sport of motorcycling has not been available until now. This work is divided into two sections; the initial section is called “The First Great Irish Motorcycling Competitor” and has… more |
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Curtiss P-40 E-N Detail SetPublished:
Master-Model produces precision brass/resin parts that will elevate your model when used as directed This time Master-Model has produced a detail set for the 1/72 P-40 E thru N models that includes brass gun barrels, external backup gun sights and pitot tube. The packaging is very good to separate and contain the tiny parts provided. The package contains a tightly folded instruction sheet on one side, on the other is a plastic bag with the parts. Each type of parts are sealed separated from the others to keep any lost to a minimum. The only fault one might find is that the dimensions for drilling the holes are in the metric system and not the English system that we use, but one can convert these to the English system without too much of a bother. For this review I used the… more |
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Curtiss P-40 B/C British VersionPublished:
Master-Model produces exact brass/resin parts that will make your model stand out. This time Master-Model has produced a detail set for the 1/72 P-40 B/C British version that consists of brass cowling blast tubes, backup external gun sights, British style pitot tube and British style .303 brass wing guns. The plastic packaging separates the various items, some of which are very tiny, and hopefully reduces the chance of losing said small parts. An instruction sheet is provided that shows you where the items go and the size of the drill you'll need to use. The dimensions are in metric so I converted them into the English system and marked the instruction sheet with the sizes, see photos. For this review I used the new Airfix 1/72 Curtiss Hawk 81-A-2 ( P-40). I began with the… more |
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F-14D Tomcat Ejection Seats with Safety BeltsPublished:
The F-14 Tomcat was the Navy's best long range interceptor, but it is now retired. It was built by Grumman and was their last and best “cat” that they ever made. The primary job of the F-14 was fleet defense and it did this with a mix of missiles; the long range Phoenix, the mid-range Sparrow and with the short range Sidewinder. It could even use its 20mm Vulcan cannon for close in work. The last Tomcat, the F-14D, which this review is about, had new F110 engines with digital avionics and new ejections seats as well. That being the Martin Baker SUJ-17 NACES ( Navy Aircrew Common Ejection Seat). Quickboost recently has made and offers a set of these SJU-17 ejection seats, which is recommended for the Hasegawa model kit. These are finely cast in gray resin with no holes or… more |
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Curtiss P-40 B/C US Version Browning .30 cal and Pitot TubePublished:
There are many firms who make and market brass aircraft accessories for the modeler, but none seem to match the skill and delicacy that is routinely exhibited by Master Model from Poland. One of the latest gems is the set for the Curtiss P-40 B/C US version in 1/72 scale. In this set one gets the following: four .30 cal MG barrels for the wings, two .50 cal cowling blast tubes, one pitot tube, two resin pitot heads, one front bead sight, and four photoetch rear ring sights. Master-Model does not recommend any one P-40 kit so for this review, so I used the latest Airfix kit the Curtiss Hawk 81-A-2 which I had. Master Model packaging is very good as it has to be with the tiny, delicate parts they provide. A plastic bag has the above mentioned items in that order, each sealed from… more |
F-14A Tomcat Ejection Seats with Safety BeltsPublished:
Without question, the F-14 was the Navy's finest long range interceptor ever built. Now retired, the Grumman built F-14 was the best of all Grumman “cats”. It had firepower, speed and presence with its wings fully swept forward or aft. The F-14 job was fleet defense and it used the long range Phoenix, mid-range Sparrow and the short range Sidewinder to accomplish this task, it even had a 20mm Vulcan cannon as a back up. The F-14 came in three variants; the F-14A, the F-14B and lastly the F-14D. The ejection seats used the A and B marks was the Martin Baker GRU-7A. Quickboost has recently made and offers a resin pair of these seats and they are recommended for the Hasegawa kits. These seats are finely cast with no flash or holes. What passes for instructions are two side… more |
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Northrup YF-23 ATFPublished:
If you have always liked the Northrup YF-23 design or are just interested in advanced aircraft this book may be of interest to you. It was written by Paul Metz who happened to have been Northrup's Chief Test Pilot for the YF-23 ATF DEM/VAL phase. (Demonstration and Validation) With his knowledge of the aircraft and it's performance he has been able to pull together a great collection of material to give you the reader unique insight into this program. This work comes in the standard size (8.5” x 11.5” x 5/16”) and consist of 153 pages on glossy paper, also 290 color photos as I count them, 20 pieces of aircraft artwork showing various preliminary configurations, 25 charts and 38 technical drawings. It starts with a brief explanation of the concept of Stealth, then follows with… more |
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AL-31F Exhaust Nozzle for Su-27Published:
This is the second Russian exhaust nozzle set made by Advanced Modeling that I have reviewed. AMG 72023 provides eight resin pieces that will make two AL-31F exhaust nozzles used in the Su-27 family. The castings are very delicate with very fine details that are better than any plastic Su-27 exhaust nozzles made. Fabrication is very simple, I started by using a razor saw to remove the casting plugs and cleaning the cut edges with a sanding stick. I then pre-painted the inside surfaces and placed part RP03, the afterburner ring into part RP04, the aft exhaust body using superglue to attach the two. Parts RP01, the inner nozzle is placed into part RP02, the outer nozzle body again using superglue to attach the pieces. The instructions are in English and Russian that shows this… more |
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Republic XF-84H ThunderscreechPublished:
Ginter Books has been producing books geared towards modelers for many years now, starting with various naval aircraft and later branching into Air Force aircraft (hence the Air Force Legends subtitle). There is always a short history on the development of the aircraft in mention followed by test and photos that highlight various aircraft systems that would be of interest to the modeler, ending with a short review of the plastic or resin kits of said aircraft. This publication on the XF-84H follows the same format in the 40 pages allotted to it. One will find 17 drawings and 81 photos of varying sizes. Four of the photos are in color and they are located with one on the front and three on the rear cover. Twelve photos are of the cockpit, ejection seat and canopy, nine photos… more |
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RD-33 Exhaust Nozzle of MiG-29 AircraftPublished:
There is a new player in the Aircraft aftermarket world, and they hail from Russia: Advance Modeling. I had not heard of them till they appeared on the IPMS Reviewer list and I thought I would try out their resin exhaust nozzle set for the new Zvezda MiG-29 (9-13). The resin used is a light gray color, captures very fine details, and is easy to cut using a razor saw or equivalent. The package is simple but effective, with parts in clear bags held within a plastic shell that, when a single staple is removed, is hinged at the other end and opens up like an oyster. The instruction sheet is in English and Russian, and unfolds with easy to understand and follow graphics. Each exhaust nozzle is comprised of four parts, with each piece needing to be removed from it's pouring sprue… more |